Are The Sanctions Against Zimbabwe A Weapon Of War?Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:27 AM

James C. McIntosh, M.D.: The great Prussian general, and before I get into trouble and anybody is asked to denounce me, for calling a Germanic leader great, let me cautiously say wickedly great. The wickedly great Prussian general Frederick the Great wrote in his instructions to his generals, that "The greatest secret of war and the masterpiece of a skillful general is to starve his enemy.

That's what sanctions do.

In Zimbabwe sanctions have created critical shortages of supplies of clean water, water purification equipment, agricultural equipment and medications. The health system of Zimbabwe that had once been described as the best in Africa is now described by some as in a shambles.

Even government opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, speaking to CNN described Zimbabwe as having a "deepening food insecurity" Put that under the category even a broken clock is right twice a day. At any rate that's an echo of what Wickedly Great military strategist, Frederick was talking about starvation as a tactic.

Thats what sanctions do

General Colin Powell,

the wickedly great General Colin Powell, said when asked about his strategy for handling the Iraqi military, these infamous words "First we cut it off; listen, First we cut it off -----then we kill it."

That's the plan of the American Government for Zimbabwe.

That's what sanctions do.

Even in a country with a highly developed, sophisticated and well functioning medical system like Cuba certain inevitable consequences have been suffered because of US imposed sanctions in the form of an Embargo.

The American Association for World Health Report in their summary findings of 1997 said that sanctions had the following 4 negative impacts on the health of the Cuban People

"1. Malnutrition: The outright ban on the sale of American foodstuffs has contributed to serious nutritional deficits, particularly among pregnant women, leading to an increase in low birth-weight babies. In addition, food shortages were linked to a devastating outbreak of neuropathy numbering in the tens of thousands. By one estimate, daily caloric intake dropped 33 percent between 1989 and 1993.

2. POOR Water Quality: The embargo is severely restricting Cuba's access to water treatment chemicals and spare-parts for the island's water supply system. This has led to serious cutbacks in supplies of safe drinking water, which in turn has become a factor in the rising incidence of morbidity and mortality rates from water-borne diseases.

3. SHORTAGES OF Medicines & Equipment: Of the 1,297 medications available in Cuba in 1991, physicians now have access to only 889 of these same medicines - and many of these are available only intermittently. Because most major new drugs are developed by U.S. pharmaceuticals, Cuban physicians have access to less than 50 percent of the new medicines available on the world market. Due to the direct or indirect effects of the embargo, the most routine medical supplies are in short supply or entirely absent from some Cuban clinics.

4. SHORTAGES AND DELAYS OF Medical Information: Though information materials have been exempt from the U.S. trade embargo since 1 988, the AAWH study concludes that in practice very little such information goes into Cuba or comes out of the island due to travel restrictions, currency regulations and shipping difficulties. Scientists and citizens of both countries suffer as a result. Paradoxically, the embargo harms some U.S. citizens by denying them access to the latest advances in Cuban medical research, including such products as Meningitis B vaccine, cheaply produced interferon and streptokinase, and an AIDS vaccine currently under-going clinical trials with human volunteers. "

Are sanctions a weapon of war ??

Well they are certainly a weapon of economic war. And economic war is just that war. There would be no need to debate the point that economic war is war were it not for the fact that we are living in a period when US government officials are known to argue with straight faces that coerced hypothermia that is freezing a person to a state of ill health, sleep deprivation and drowning a person until he gives up information, are not torture but technically just harsh interrogation. HARSH INTERROGATION -They make it sound as though they are just cussing somebody out while they question him- You better tell me where those weapons of Mass distruction are you Son of a Bush- but it is nothing so benign. We are living in a time when there are politicians who still maintain that the events in Korea, involving mainly U.S. Troops was not war but technically just a U.N. police action. We are told that what occurred between Bill and Monica was not sex. What was it torture, harsh interrogation? 4 years f medical school and if it wasn't sex I don't know but seriously. We are told that if you take a person out of a U.S. prison and send him to an Uzbekistani prison prison for the purpose of having him beaten, shocked and boiled, that's not torture its an extraordinary rendition- They make it sound like Beyonce had changed the inaugural program and instead of singing At last had sung Mirriam Makeba's song, Piece of ground--- and sounded just like Etta James or as if if Sachmo got up out the grave and showed up at the Obama inauguration and played the national anthem- ----- you know, of Zimbabwe- and mixed it in with The Creator Has A Master Plan, now that would be an extraordinary rendition. But this Cheyney Bush crap is torture and sanctions are nothing but weapons of war.

1. Like weaons of war, sanctions kill people

2. Like weapons of war, sanctions are usually used in excess against and among poor and black nations

3.Like weapons of war. sanctions are killing the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet the children

Case in point Iraq: The 88 thousand tons of ordinance the US dropped on Iraq in the first Gulf War, killed by most estimates maybe 37,000 Iraqi's., the economic sanctions imposed on iraq after the war are blamed for killing 5,000 Iraqi children under the age of 5 per week

Thats over 500, 000 or a half a million children IN UNDER 10 YEARS

That's what sanctions do.

In Zimbabwe during the last few weeks 67 thousand people have been infected from a totally preventable form of diarrhea. Over 3 thousand of them have died This deadly watery form of diarrhea called Cholera is TOTALLY PREVENTABLE.

All you have to do to prevent Cholera is have clean water. All you have to do to treat Cholera is to replace the persons fluids so they don't become dehydrated from the diarrhea which in severe cases can cause the loss of several quarts of fluid per hour.

IV fluids are THE best and most rapid way to replace these fluids However there is a cheap oral solution that can be used pretty effectively if you have clean water and utensils to serve it in. The cure can also be speeded up if the antibiotic tetracycline is used.

But under Sanctions shipments of chlorine gas necessary for water purification are blocked that keeps the water supply from being purified in the first place, Under Sanctions the government has credit problems that don't permit the purchase of the antibiotics, or water purification equipment or IV fluids, or even enough of the cheap oral solution that is curative. Under sanctions aircraft parts necessary to repair crop dusters to grow the grain necessary to stop malnutrition are blocked. Malnutrition makes the children die of diarrhea and respiratory infections from germs that would only cause a sore throat an ear ache or cold in a well nourished child.

So because of Sanctions In Zimbabwe, children die for lack of clean water, IV solution, common place antibiotics or an asthma pump.

That's what Sanctions Do

Please recognize that the imposition of Economic

sanctions on a developing nation like Zimbabwe is not an alternative to war but such imposition is war itself.

Sanctions like wars are used for economic motives to foster political change, specifically regime change.

Sanctions like wars have historically been used to attempt regime change. We have the examples of sanctions for attempted regime change in Chile, Cuba, and Iraq. Zimbabwe is no different

In Zimbabwe the first sanctions were of the unofficial variety where various lenders and banks began to refuse credit to Zimbabwe in the context of a call by the western powers for regime change. These unofficial sanctions were followed by official declaration of sanctions in 2001 under Zidera the so called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery ACT. The ACT authorized the US to officially use its veto power to make the multilateral lending agencies, IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank stifle Mugabe's efforts to get credit. This meant that not only were efforts to borrow new money necessary for development stifled but efforts to restructure existing loans were nipped in the bud. All of this was sparked by Mugabe's having responded in 1999 to the peoples demand to the reclaim their stolen land. Was'nt it Malcolm X who said that land is the basis of all revolution. Should the Zimbabwe revolution be any different. Of course not, Land reclamation is in fact the real revolution. And The reaction of imperialism to revolution is always war.

That's what Sanctions are one a the weapon of Imperialist Economic War.

And the purpose of the war is the same purpose as in war in chile, cuba, grenada, Iraq etc etc economic gain and political change specifically regime change in the interest of the US government.

Sanctions Like weapons of war are proliferated mainly by the US government and imposed all over the the Black and Brown world

The National Association of manufacturers reported in 1997 that at that time 42 percent of the world's population from over 190 countries were being. sanctioned by the United States for alleged offenses ranging from terrorism to failure to protect the Sea Turtles of Costa Rica. So to save the sea turtles you starve the children, make them drink dirty water, catch cholera, malaria and pneumonia and call it an alternative to war.

That's what sanctions do That's what the United States does.

The same study by National Association of manufacturers also concluded that sanctions are costing the United States $15 billion to $19 billion annually in potential exports. And in only 13 percent of the cases in which they have been employed do they achieve the foreign policy goal for which they have been employed.

They are not even working and yet they are used to cause suffering for more than 41 percent of the earths population.

These kind of facts about sanctions do not make sense to a rational mind. The rational mind says why would you kill babies when the strategy only works 13 percent of the time. But the capitalist mind is not a rational mind. 13 perecent yield is an excellent yield for a Capitalist during Imperialism's last gasping breaths. No only would they kill our babies for a 13 percent yield, they would kill their own. In Vietnam they watched their babies step on punji sticks. In Somalia they watched their babies get dragged through the streets, and in Iraq they are sending their own and our own 18 and 19 year old babies toff to war only to bury them by the caseload as they return or to hospitalize them for traumatic brain injury or post traumatic Stress Disorder after they return. But for a pipeline , for a 13 percent yield they will do this.

And they will say it is worth it.

I am not speaking figuratively.

When former Secretary of State Madeline Albright was told by Leslie Stahl that these sanctions had caused the death of a half a million children more dead children than in Hiroshima, Albrights response was

"-we think the price is worth it."—

She said

The world is a beautiful place

to be born into

if you don't mind some people dying

all the time

or maybe only starving

some of the time

which isn't half bad

if it isn't you

Nah, She didn't say that last part that was the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti

but that's what she meant !

She meant the price is worth it. So long as its not me and Bill and Hillary and George and Condy. Its worth it!

For the American Government not only is it worth it for the most innocent and vulnerable to die. In the case of Sanctions as with all siege warfare,

The innocent and the vulnerable are the intended targets.

Military Strategists have know since the time of wickedly great Frederick and beyond that The lord of a feudal castle eats well until the last of the provisions are gone. The children and the sick hunger and die first. That's the whole point of siege warfare and sanctions to make the populace suffer to the point that they scream for the ruler to open the gates.

This was never better expressed than when Richard Nixon instructed the CIA, in the case of Chile to

"make their economy scream." MAKE THEIR ECONOMY SCREAM The barbarism of the sentiment comes forth even THRU the euphemism economy . Economies don't scream people scream.

And what better way to make people scream than to negatively impact on their health, food, drinking water, education, shelter and safety'

Writer Joy Gordon points out in her two papers Sanctions as Siege Warfare and Sanctions as weapons of mass destruction that it is perhaps contradictory and immoral for the UN to be involved in sanctions given the madate of the, Universal Declaration of Human Rights to insure that every person has a right to "to health, food, drinking water, education, shelter and safety'

For my last point I would like to suggest that it is immoral for the US and any of the western powers to engage in Sanctions against any country in the so called developing world

To make this point I refer to General Tecumsah Sherman, whom the white folks of Georgia still refer to as wickedly great. Sherman said War is Hell

Why should Hell be imposed on anybody, but if it is to be imposed on someone why the innocent children. George Bush and the Crusaders say they are fighting the axis of evil. Well you all know that the axis of evil runs in the line right between that dunce's ears. In runs right up Condelizza's -------nose through the sphenoid bone through her brain-

Sanctions bring hell to the children of Zimbabwe.

I ask you to close your eyes and think of a little boy or girl in Zimbabwe with a face just like your child or grandchild. I ask you to imagine your child or grandchild shivering, on soiled bedding, sweaty, thirsty, malnourished, vomiting, afraid, innocent, screaming and in hell. Then I ask you to hold that image and support D12 as they gather supplies and money to bring relief to our people.

Call December 12th Movement if you want to help: 718-398-1766Africa for the Africans and Long Live The Zimbabwe Revolution!

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Sponsored by the Collective Black People Movement (CBPM)

CBPM Index:

Whose so ever is against President Robert Mugabe is against the struggles of our people... and the belief that Africa's resources is the birth rights of African People.

Dear Africans,with a cholera epidemic well underway. This cannot be blamed on any one political party National Unity Government has been formed at long last. This is the first step towards resolving the political crisis.

Accordingly, we all over Africa and throughout the African Diaspora must join together to help our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe. There is no longer any justification for sanctions against the country. So, we must immediately do all that we can to have the sanctions lifted. I ask your newspaper and its editorial policy to support this effort.

national levels to urge an end to all sanctions and all forms of economic warfare against the People and Republic of Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, I ask that you use your good offices to urge our fellow citizens and neighbors and social and religious organizations to provide every possible assistance to the People and Republic of Zimbabwe.

I head a micro-finance initiative that is specifically designed to help Zimbabwe. We can accept donations, loans and equity investments. I can be reached at 314-807-7317, email: unification_front@yahoo.com

Zimbabwe:Marley Family to Grace Independence ConcertJairos Saunyama; 4 March 2010

Harare — The family of the late reggae legend Bob Marley is expected to grace a concert to commemorate Zimbabwe's 30th Independence anniversary at the Glamis Stadium in Harare on April 17.The family, which includes the talented Ziggy, Damian, Sharon, Steve, Julian and Cedella, has confirmed the trip.Show organiser Patrick Hundu of Studio City said the Marleys were coming to perform at this year's Independence celebrations in the same manner their father was part of the festivities at the birth of an independent Zimbabwe in 1980."We were blessed as a nation when reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley came to perform in Zimbabwe at Rufaro Stadium on the 18th of April 1980."Now 30 years later, we continue to smile and reaffirm that we will never be a colony again."And we want the whole world to know as we call on our comrades and friends in the Diaspora to come and celebrate with us and the Marley Family, as they have already indicated strong interest in coming to perform in Zimbabwe," he said.The celebrations, to be held under the theme "Together As One", will also see a Chinese Army Band performing to symbolise the good relations between China and Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe and China are this year celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.The Marley Family will perform alongside Zimbabwe's man of the moment Stunner, Leonard Mapfumo and Sulumani Chimbetu, among others.

Their visit will follow that of another Jamaican musician, Sizzla Kalonji, who performed at the 21st February Movement gala in Bulawayo and held a number of other shows in Harare.Another Jamaican, dub poet and reggae star Yasus Afari, is billed to perform at this year's Harare International Festival of the Arts.The Chinese-Zimbabwean ties will also be celebrated with an exhibition where the two countries will showcase their cultures, including the traditional foods.A soccer match between Zimbabwe's Warriors and the Chinese national team is part of the entertainment programme.The Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment is co-ordinating the event.

Ujamma Youth Farming Project Youth AgendaOur mission is to empower Afrikan youth through gainful farming initiatives, so that they are able to demonstrate the essential skills necessary to function as lifelong productive citizens, through Zimbabwe's agrarian reforms, and ultimately in Afrika's development.